Chivalry
by spopococ
Summary: Zack was always the perfect gentleman, and held attention anywhere he went. With that, he also knew how to offer attention to others. What else could Cloud do but fall for him and hope for all that attention to be his? Shounen-ai. Happy Birthday, Midnight


Gift Fic Number one! xD A one shot Zack/Cloud fluffy fic for a darling friend. :3 Happy Birthday Midnight Crisis! :D xoxoxox -hugs and love-

**Warnings:** **This fictional piece of writing is fan based and not created for any means of profit. The characters and various other aspects belong to Square Enix and Final Fantasy 7's respective creators. **

I have **toyed with ages **here. Muahaha. It basically means that they're not the same ages as they are in game/movie world. But, it's fanfiction right? And they are my borrowed pets? :3 *Plays puppets with the characters*

**Yaoi/Shounen-ai,** cause you should all know it's rare I write anything but. :3

**Coarse Language**, because most hard built, smexy fighting men swear a little, and so do I. :3

**IT'S SHORT. xD** lol

--

"Hey," An all too familiar voice greeted, as I looked up to be ensnared by glittering baby blues, "You stayed home alone again all day? What ya doing?"

"Homework..." I sighed, and he frowned slightly.

"That really doesn't sound like too much fun..." He remarked, and I wondered how I'd missed all of that energy coming through the front door. He continued to frown for a few more moments, before bursting into yet another glowing beam.

"I have a better idea," he grinned, "Come out for dinner?"

"I really have to finish this work before I can go out anywh-"

"You worry too much. Come on, you should get some sun on that pasty skin of yours," He teased with a devious smile, "Or I'll lose you against the wallpaper."

I snorted at this and reminded him that he wasn't much darker than I was. He pouted at this, before his own amusement at the comment caused him to smile bashfully.

"I'll take that little comment as an acceptance of my offer," He replied with as much feigned dignity as he could muster, and I could do little else but hold on as he dragged me to my feet and out the door.

Zack Fair had waltzed into Shinra with a telltale grin of assurance, wormed his way into being Sephiroth's most trusted First Class Lieutenant, and somewhere along the line, had become my best friend. From the time I'd met him as a timid young cadet, he'd worked tirelessly on dragging me from my shell. He had done significantly better than the long chain of people before him aiming for the same goal, and it hadn't been difficult for me to determine how. In a town like Nibelheim, their key to happiness was a bout of music, a dish of some sort of roasted animal, and a mug of the finest beer, all shoved into a six long marathon of celebration. If any boy had refused their 'initiation to happiness', they were deemed a sissy and sent back home to their mother, as I had been at the age of twelve. Then, I'd moved on to Midgar at the age of sixteen, and the reception had changed. Fast cars, easy money, and even easier women, topped the priorities list for happiness within the city's walls. Unfortunately for me, once again, appeal was lacking, and I chose distancing myself as a means of avoiding another string of awkward situations. Then, Shinra, and ultimately, working my way towards SOLDIER recruitment. Zack Fair had appeared at our induction as guards, and I would forever remember him as a person so full of.. _life_. He didn't drink at anything but birthday parties, had too much of a short attention span to sit still for six hours, preferred bikes over cars, worked hard for his money, was often seen as a free bachelor, and only occassionally indulged in a variety of roasted animals. Despite _defying_ all that which was seen to make a man happy, he _was_, and it wore off on me from the moment he snatched at my hand and dragged me to a games arcade after training one night.

_"You looked a little distant there, and I'm noticing you don't really talk to the others a lot," _He'd explained when I asked why we were there, _"And considering they're all cocky bastards, I figured you'd be better company than them, hey?"_

He'd then flashed a charming grin, and despite spending one hundred gil of my hard earned money, I'd had... fun... Now, he was doing it again, as he had chosen to do countless amounts of times, with a grin and an expectant face full of mischief.

"You want steak right?" He grinned, "You can get the biggest, fattest dead cow money can buy."

"Sounds delightful..." I snorted sarcastically, and he grinned.

"_And_ be reminded that I'm paying, so you are _expected_ to go crazy..." He smiled warmly.

"Dead cow it is then," I found myself teasing in reply, before he ran a hand affectionately through my hand. Unbeknown to Zack, it was gestures even as small as that that made it dangerous for me to be around him. For a long time, my beliefs had been that Nibelheim country girls, and Midgar danger girls, just hadn't been appealing enough in appearance for me to form a committed relationship. Then I'd headed to Shinra and realised that there had only been one thing to drive me from these willing and able temptresses: Their gender. I'd barely come to terms with this fact, before Zack had snatched at my hand, sent a ruffle of his fingers through my hair and casually flung an arm around me, and it had hit me that there was no going back from that moment on.

"Hey bright eyes," He smiled then, waving a hand before my face, "You even listening to me?"

"Uh, sorry Zack..."

"It's ok, was just saying that we're nearly there," He grinned, "You're so out of it today. Must be all that homework, or..."

He paused, his eyes meeting mine from their corners, as a teasing grin flicked across his lips.

"It _must_ just be being around me, right?" He teased, "It's ok, I barely know what to do with all this sexiness myself."

Gaia, you have no idea.

"Gaia, you're so full of it," I teased, and he winked, flinging an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close.

"Sexiness? I know," He shrugged airily, shaking me slightly by the shoulders, "But it's a curse, Cloud, a _curse!_"

"Idiot..." I snorted, and he then offered another dangerous gesture, placing a kiss upon my cheek, oblivious to passers by, or simply not caring.

"God kid, I can't get enough of you!" He laughed, as we walked into the steakhouse, his arm falling from my shoulder as he asked for a table.

The meal played out as they usually did. Zack would fling strings of amusing anecdotes at me as I ate, and he would occassionally take a small amount of time out to idly pick at his own food. The bill would arrive, my eyes would nearly fall out of their sockets, and he would pay for the bill with little more than a wisecrack about me eating him to poverty, before tipping the waiter or waitress. We'd then head home, where we'd most likely sit on the couch and indulge in a bowl of popcorn and a cheesy 1960's comedy romance, with Zack letting out bursts of laughter at the worst of lines. This time however, the Lieutenant stretched contently and smiled mysteriously. As he got handed the bill, he made his usual snide comment.

"Gaia, perhaps I need to become a vegetarian or something, you're running me dry here..." He teased, and I rolled my eyes. He popped the money on the allocated dish and stretched again, seemingly content with his meal. Instead of suggesting we go home now, however, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't feel much like heading home right now, how bout you?" He asked, before standing and giving our waiter a pat on the back and a twenty gil tip. I think 'David' might have had as much trouble comprehending what had just happened as I was.

"Zack, that was a twenty," I murmured as we stepped outside, and he gasped slightly, smacking his forehead in apparent distress.

"A twenty?" He gaped, "You're kidding!"

"I mean it. That's like a twenty percent tip..." I mumured, and he frowned.

"Who cares about the maths? I feel bad I gave him the wrong note," He sighed, "He earnt at least a fourty..."

"Zack!"

"What?" He asked innocently, and for once I found the expression completely honest. I felt a mixture of feelings at that, and was unable to pick a highlight out of envy, shock, pride and just... gratitude... I felt like one of the characters in the movies that Zack so often snorted bits of heated corn at, in that the thought struck me that I was hopelessly grateful for every moment he gave me of his time.

"Whoa oh..." He frowned, taking me by my shoulders and stopping me, "What's that face for?"

"Huh?"

"You're thinking too much. This is all about having a good day out right?" He smiled, "And away from that useless homework."

"Where are we going?" I asked casually, determined for a change of subject.

"I'm thinking of stopping off for a minute at the old carousel by the river. I've been meaning to do something for awhile," Zack shrugged, "Then I thought we could maybe catch a movie _outside_ of the house?"

He laughed lightly at this, before pulling me into another of those close proximity shoulder hugs.

"But if you wanna hang out on the couch, I'm more than happy to do that too," He reassured, "Either way, let's stop all that thinking huh?"

I smiled almost spontaneously, as if I'd been unable to stop it in the slightest, and he grinned in return.

"Attaboy, let's go," He urged, running his hand briefly through my hair again.

The stop at the old carousel hadn't been anything like I'd expected. I remembered Zack saying he used to come here on his days off back in his cadetship, and have a ride on the carousel. He said it took him back to his childhood days, and there was nothing better than the innocence of your own childhood. I figured we'd be coming here for a ride or something, but instead he headed for the nearby bridge, and gestured for me to follow. There was an old saxophonist playing 'Sesame Street' a few times over and over, before swapping to other melodical tunes and then finally, a rendition of 'Your Latest Trick'. As we got closer I realised that he was doing this with minimal difficulty, despite being seemingly blind. Zack stood a few metres in front of him and smiled encouragingly, as his head bopped slightly to the Dire Straits song, and I moved to stand beside him.

"He's been playing here close to five years now. Every day, without fail," He smiled softly, before clapping as the musician finished the song.

"Thank you sir or madam," the saxophonist smiled, his voice just as rich as the notes he had just finished producing, "Is there anything I can be requested to play for your entertainment?"

"A bit of classic 'Baker Street'?" Zack asked hopefully, as the saxophonist nodded and immediately began playing the familiar tune. He was incredible. Even so, I was struck with surprise when Zack reached into his pocket and removed a small paper bag, seemingly containing money. When the musician had finished, Zack approached him and reached to gently take the hand of the saxophonist, who startled slightly.

"Here, this is for you," Zack said quietly, "Make sure you tuck it into your coat or something, you can never really trust some of the people who walk here of a night time."

The musician nodded, his hand delving into the bag, his face lighting up as he did so.

"Thank you, sir!" he grinned, as Zack gave the man a pat on the back.

"Go get a new suit or something?" Zack suggested, as the musician nodded and hastily began to pack up his equipment.

As we headed for the theatre, curiousity got the best of me, and I turned to face the Lieutenant.

"How much did you give him?" I asked, and Zack smiled slightly.

"As much as he deserves," The Lieutenant smiled, his arm returning to its usual spot on my shoulders, "What are we seeing today?"

I shook my head slightly, another stunned smile creeping along my lips as my thoughts strayed to the seemingly endless stream of money that Zack was always willing to give to those he deemed worthy. He sulked at this however, and used his free hand to prop up the corners of my mouth.

"Smiles, not deep thought," He said quietly, "What bad habits you have."

"All the better to annoy you with, my dear," I retorted, and he snorted, using his hand on my shoulder to bring my head closer to his. He rested his head against mine briefly, before letting go and laughing softly.

"This is fun, yeah?" He asked, and I urged my mind to come back from the depths it was swimming in from the near-intimate gesture the Lieutenant had just offered.

"Yeah," I agreed, unable to chase the smile from my lips.

"I say comedy, hey?" He said out of seemingly nowhere, before I realised we'd already reached the theatre. Once again, his arm dropped from its loop across my shoulders, and once again I felt a small stab of disappointment that it had.

"Two tickets to the funniest movie you have here, doll," Zack grinned at the young counter girl, who giggled slightly at the Lieutenant's approach.

"I think that's a matter of opinion sir," She smiled sweetly, and Zack leaned casually, holding her gaze.

"It's ok, I trust you. We just want to have fun, and I'm looking to you for guidance. You're not thinking of letting me down?" He grinned, and she blushed.

"Ooh, well I hope I don't disappoint," She practically purred, her eyelashes batting ever so slightly, "How about 'Mako Mayhem'? Seems fitting for a strapping young guy such as yourself, especially with those adorable eyes."

A small part of me wanted to reach through the window and pull her make-up caked face through the glass, but it was forceably subsided when Zack turned his attention to me with a grin.

"Hear that bright eyes? She thinks this movie's a pick for you," he winked, as the girl at the counter gaped slightly, as if wanting to correct his statement. Something told me he noticed, but he said nothing regardless.

"Two for Mako Mayhem then," Zack grinned, "You've been a real help doll."

With that, he'd snatched at my wrist and was pulling me towards the snacks bar. I pulled my wrist away from him in a brief moment of sulking jealousy, and he gave me a puzzled look, even as he turned to speak to the snack attendant.

"Jumbo popcorn and two large colas please," He asked, before handing over the money and turning back to me.

"You ok Blondie?" He asked, running his hand through my hair, a few of the other theatre patrons looking on with unguarded curiousity. It hurt to have them think that Zack and I were a couple when we weren't. Especially when I wanted us to be. There, I admitted it, I was... smitten.

"I'm fine," I replied a little too forcefully, as he handed me my drink. He took my free wrist and pulled me aside from the queue, before letting it go in favour of my shoulder.

"Did I do something wrong? I'd hate to ruin a good night," He asked, concern clear on his face, and I mentally kicked myself. It was selfish of me to feel envy of something that I'd never really had, and it had left Zack with suspicions that he was the one in the wrong when it was clearly me...

"No, it's alright," I sighed softly, "It's me thinking too much again. Where's the movie?"

"Third door on the left, apparently," He smiled, seemingly still mildly concerned, before he headed towards the cinema.

We went through the movie, which was enjoyable, if not a little corny, and we left in high spirits. I was almost in a good enough mood to forget the earlier events, and the rude awakening that Zack was fair game to anyone, and there wasn't a single thing I could do about it. I'd always had issues of acceptance when it came to something I'd found I could never have. It had started with a girl back in my hometown, which had sent me firmly on the belief that females weren't ever worth so much effort and pain. The thing is, that even though I didn't have Zack, and probably never _would_ have him, a small part of me had determined long ago that he was still worth every ounce of effort I was willing to offer. Although the air tonight was warm, there was always a sense of forboding in walking Midgar's streets, and as Zack and I walked tonight, my intense paranoia of these kinds of situations had left me no choice but to notice the group of three guys up ahead. Zack rambled on excitedly about which parts of the movie he found funniest, blissfully unaware of the shady looking characters ahead. It was a little surprising to me in the way that the Lieutenant was always sharp as a tack and always willing to offer reassurance should I feel uneased or uncomfortable. Tonight however, he seemed to be too enthralled in his talk of the movie, and so I put it all down to my paranoia. I noticed one of the three looking in my direction, and felt a small wave of unease creep across me. It all dissipated however, as Zack placed his arm around my shoulder and grinned.

"Isn't this better than a night stuck at home?" he asked lightly, and my tension eased as we passed the three figures with no concerns.

"Admittedly, it's great, but I really should get that homework done..." I smiled, unable to hold a little disappointment at the remembered homework laying discarded on our kitchen table. It quickly became the least important thing on my mind however, Zack's grip tightening abruptly on my shoulder, as his face darkened significantly. He turned, and pulled me behind him, as the three guys from before approached us, the guy who had his eyes set on me before now leering suggestively.

"Can I help you boys?" Zack said firmly, all of his usual mirth and mischief seemingly gone.

"You can if you step aside and let us talk to your blonde friend," The tallest remarked, and I peered slightly around Zack to take in as much details of the trio as I could. The tallest seemed to be the one in charge, long brown hair, very gaunt looking. Could I describe him well to anyone who may need the info? Not sure, he had a cap on and it was casting shadows across his face. Fuck, what were we meant to do?

"Not a chance in hell," Zack said flatly, "Sorry I can't be of any help after all."

"I think that's quite selfish of ya, punk," the first one to catch my eye leered again, "He's such a sweet little thing really. It's like you're buying a block of chocolate and intending to eat the whole lot. Ya don't wanna do that do ya? Bad intentions I think ya have, man."

It might have been my imagination, or it may truly have been an affect of having mako in his blood, but as Zack's next words came out, I could have sworn the air temperature declined slightly.

"My only real intention right now is making sure I kick the shit out of all three of your asses," The Lieutenant said simply. There was no suggestion, no mockery, just plain and simple fact. Perhaps that was why all three of our approachers were now a little un-nerved.

As the leader stepped forward, swiftly taking out a pocket knife, Zack gave him a warning look, raising an eyebrow and cocking his head slightly.

"You really wanna do that?" Zack asked, as the attacker smirked smugly, taking another few steps forward.

It was then that I could see a faint gree glow reflecting in the guy's eyes, before his skin paled. He took a step backwards then, as Zack moved forwards, but the attacker was too slow for the Lieutenant's enhanced abilities. He gaped wordlessly, but I couldn't see any further reaction, as Zack reached out and punched him square in the nose, before bringing a knee to his stomach and placing a forceful hit from his elbow upon the guy's face. He fell to the pavement unconscious, the knife clattering from his hands, and his cronies gaped like fish out of water.

"He's S-SOLDIER..." One of them stammered, before Zack straightened up from his final move.

"Yup. F-First Class..." Zack mocked, before stepping forward swiftly and sweeping his legs to knock both men off their feet. He then dealt punches to both of their faces, the blows strong enough to knock them both unconscious, as I stood and gaped as wordlessly as they had only moments earlier. In all honesty, I should have expected that any problem that arose with Zack around would be dealt with efficiently and effectively, but it didn't stop the small tremble running through my skin, or the shaky sob escaping my lips. I wasn't even crying, which made me feel even further unsettled. Apparently I was suffering from a mild case of shock.

Zack was quick to notice, and swiftly pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on top of my head and turning me so that I faced away from the three unconscious forms.

"Hey it's alright," He reassured, "A bit of a random occurrence, but nothing I couldn't deal with."

"How could you, I mean... How did you... How did you _know_ what they were going to do?"

"I saw them as soon as we left the theatre, and I figured someone like yourself would draw a little attention," He smiled, as he pulled back and met my gaze, "So I put my arm around you to begin with to kind of throw off the aura that you were out of bounds."

All these times, I figured that Zack's embraces were spontaneous and a side effect of his affectionate nature. This little admission was more than a pleasant surprise.

"When we were walking, my SOLDIER senses were tingling," He continued, "And I heard their footsteps not too far behind. To be honest, paranoia made me stop."

"Maybe paranoia's a good thing then?" I laughed shakily, trying to dispell the nervousness still coursing through me.

"Hey, are you thinking too much again?" He chided, smiling softly, and I shrugged.

"From what you just said, you think a bit too much too," I teased, smirking deviously.

It was soon wiped swiftly off my face however, as he leant in and pressed his lips against mine, gently toying with my bottom lip before nibbling it slightly. He then pulled back with a smug smirk of satisfaction on his lips, my mouth opening slightly in stunned surprise.

"Uh..." I floundered, "I um... well... what _was _that?"

"Proof that I don't think sometimes?" He snorted passively, although a little uncertainty lay within his eyes, "Some people call it a kiss. It's something that happens between two people who like each other, and I thought it seemed appropriate. That is, I assumed that maybe I was just lucky enough to have reciprocated feelings of 'like' in the way I'm saying, yay?"

He paused for a few moments, and I took a strange amount of amusement in seeing Zack shy _and _speechless for the first time since I'd known him. He took my hand in his in a subtle gesture, holding my gaze as his usual mischief slowly began to return, as he toyed lightly with my fingers. It was another dangerous gesture, the light motions of his thumb on mine sending small tendrils of pleasure through me. I snorted with laughter out of anxiety, and he grinned hopefully.

"You're not giving me anything here, bright eyes," he teased, "Yay or nay on the reciprocation?"

He gave my hand a bit of a squeeze then, and I continued to find difficulty in accepting that this was real. Zack Fair was the most honest and sincere person I'd ever met, and it didn't seem like he would be pulling the wool over my eyes so to speak...

"You're thinking too much..." He teased, and it was possibly the best fitting prompt I need to lean back in and return the kiss he'd offered early. I felt him grin against my lips, before he playfully swept an eager tongue across them, and was granted immediate access. He slowly and methodically worked his tongue to caress mine in what was quickly turning into a dizzying experience. Just when things started getting a little spicy, he pulled back and snorted, seemingly coming to a realisation.

"What?" I asked, as he gestured with his head to the figures behind us, still unconscious on the ground. Oh yeah...

"Let me call this in. It'll be a good distraction anyway, I was about to take severe disadvantage of you," Zack beamed, lightly dipping to press his lips chastely against mine once again, before whipping out his cell. He offered a wink, before he stooped down to check the culprit's pulses and make sure they were ok.

"I hope I didn't deal too much damage, hey?" He tsked, and I couldn't help but snort at the situation. No matter what he did, that goodness kept on shining through.

Twenty minutes later, I was watching the three attackers being taken away in an ambulance, two Turks sitting beside them as they left. Zack waited until they were out of sight, before he slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"Where were we again? I think I forgot..." He murmured innocently, and I narrowed my eyes accusingly.

"Ok, ok, so I _may_ be _trying_ to take advantage of you a little," He teased, "But I'm not going to be punching _myself_ in the face anytime soon."

"You don't have to," I teased back, "I might like the taking advantage part just a little."

"Ooh re-ow," He snorted, before leaning in and capturing my lips in a quickly deepening kiss. I clutched onto the back of his shirt, as he leant me back so that only his hand supported my back, and I laughed a little.

"Cloud..." He said softly, pulling away and smiling softly.

"...Yeah?" I said breathlessly, still caught off guard by the skills that Zack held even in kissing.

"Considering I have you in such a cheesy and romantic position, I find it appropriate to say something," he murmured, a smirk lingering along his lips, "You taste of dead cow..."

I snorted, before he pulled me back up and leant back in for yet another embracing kiss. It stayed like that for several moments, before he laughed lightly against my lips.

"What?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"I'll never become a vegetarian at this rate..." He smirked, but I could honestly say it didn't bother me in the slightest.

--

**A/N:** Lol at cheesy ending. xD I thought it fit well with how many other times I mentioned cheesiness. xD

Happy Birthday once again to Midnight Crisis, whom I adore. :3

God I hope she likes it. lmao. xD


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